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Story Highlights

The controversy surrounding the Woodstock 50 festival has shifted to state Supreme Court in Manhattan.

That’s where Woodstock 50 is demanding that its former financial partner be ordered to return nearly $17.8 million “in misappropriated” funds from the festival bank account, and provide access to the cash, according to court papers filed electronically Wednesday night.

Organizers for the festival are seeking a preliminary injunction and temporary restraining order against the Dentsu Aegis Network and its Amplifi Live division, according to court papers.

Woodstock 50 is demanding that, pending arbitration, Dentsu stick to its contract to stage a 50th anniversary concert this August in Watkins Glen. The organizer also wants Dentsu to refrain from “disparaging W50, interfering with its contracts with performers and others, and undermining the Festival,” according to court papers.

In an interesting twist, Woodstock 50 also is demanding that “Dentsu cooperate with W50 in connection with W50’s continued planning of the festival, including providing reasonable consents and approvals,” according to court papers.

“W50 seeks this emergency relief as a result of Dentsu’s outrageous and illegal misconduct that threatens enormous and irreparable harm to W50,” the court papers read.

A spokesperson for Dentsu said the company had no comment on the lawsuit.

Ulster County resident Michael Lang, the co-founder and co-producer of the 1969 Woodstock Music and Art Fair, is working to stage Woodstock 50 on the weekend of Aug. 16-18 with dozens of acts, including Jay-Z, Dead and Company, Common, Santana, Miley Cyrus and the Lumineers.

The gathering initially targeted a crowd of 150,000, but that was cut in half. And tickets were supposed to go on sale April 22, but that has been postponed indefinitely while Woodstock 50 secures a temporary mass-gathering permit from the state Department of Health.

The concert would mark the 50th anniversary of the 1969 Woodstock festival, which drew hundreds of thousands of people to Sullivan County for musical performances by such acts as Jimi Hendix, Creedence Clearwater Revival and The Who.

Dentsu on April 29 withdrew its support for Woodstock 50 and canceled the festival. Lang fired back that Dentsu had no right to cancel the gathering and has been steadfast with his pledge to proceed with staging Woodstock 50.

Woodstock 50 is seeking a preliminary injunction “in aid of” arbitration, and a temporary restraining order while the hearing is pending, according to court papers.

Woodstock 50 is also demanding that Dentsu stop communications related to the festival with stakeholders, including state and county officials, venue operators, local vendors, community representatives, insurers, producers, talent agencies and performers.

Other challenges Woodstock 50 has faced

It's all fueling drama in advance of the 50th anniversary of the 1969 Woodstock festival, which was held Aug. 15-18, 1969, and is considered by many to be the crowning achievement of the 1960s counterculture.

According to the festival agreement between Woodstock 50 and Amplifi Live, which is included in the court papers:

Anticipated media and sponsorship sales were at least $22 million.

Amplifi would pay $49 million to cover production costs.

Wooodstock 50 would purchase a minimum $50 million insurance policy related to the activities and operations of the festival; and a minimum $120 million insurance policy to cover the cancellation of the festival.

Woodstock 50 and Dentsu would consult with each other on business decisions and in the event of a dispute, “meet to negotiate and find compromise in good faith.”